A mature L. sulphureus!
Regular readers may have noticed that blog postings have been more infrequent than usual recently. Jenna and I are getting married this weekend, so we have been busy with wedding preparations. Meanwhile, the mycelium has been busy doing its thing, though in northern Vermont the woods still offer only slim early season pickings.
Morel season is over, and I am afraid to admit that I never found any more morels after my triumphant morning finding a patch of nine pristine specimens. Still, I have no complaints – in my first spring as a Vermont resident, I found morels, and Jenna and I savored every last bite of them.
Gary Lincoff recently commented on the New York Mycological Society Facebook page that Laetiporus cincinnatus, the white-pored chicken of the woods, is the best edible mushroom fruiting during the dry spell in between morel season and chanterelle season. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, but unfortunately I have never seen the white-pored chicken this far north. If anyone has seen L. cincinnatus in northern Vermont or New Hampshire, please share your finds!
Luckily, Vermont (like most of the Northeast) has ample and often massive fruitings of chicken of the woods from mid-June through the end of summer. Unfortunately, up north we are stuck with the significantly inferior Laetiporus sulphureus, the yellow-pored chicken of the woods. The yellow-pored chicken is still delicious when it emerges as succulent tendrils, but all but the margin quickly becomes too woody to enjoy unless you braise the mushroom. I have yet to find any chicken of the woods in the Burlington area this summer, but there is no question that it is currently fruiting throughout the Northeast up through central Vermont, and should be arriving in the northern reaches of the region any day now.
Chicken of the woods is one of the most foolproof mushroom species to ID, with its bright orange upper surface, yellow or white pores, and yellow growing tip. The only catch is that that you should be able to determine whether the host tree is deciduous or coniferous. Do not eat chickens fruiting on hemlock, since many people are sensitive to this variety and can experience gastric distress. All chicken of the woods growing on hardwood stumps, dying hardwoods, or downed hardwoods is safe to eat. I often find the most beautiful, massive specimens on ash. Be sure to cook your chicken thoroughly – I like the tender young tips sautéed in a cast iron pan at a medium heat for 8-12 minutes with a bit of olive oil, a dash of butter, and ample garlic. More mature chickens are tasty marinated and then baked or braised for 30 -45 minutes at 350-375 degrees.
We are heading on a honeymoon after our wedding, but when we come back on July 11 we should be entering peak summer mushroom foraging season throughout the region. That means chanterelles, black trumpets, and more are just around the corner! May we have a sun-soaked wedding, followed by enough rain and warmth to awaken even the most stubborn chanterelle mycelium!
Northeastern ForageCast for the week of June 19, 2012!
Nice post.
So you find chickens consistently from June on? I’m in Philly and we really only get them from August to October, rarely in June or July. It seems counter-intuitive that a more northerly place would fruit earlier, but I think in this case it’s because chickens need cool nights to initiate fruiting. Down here the mycelium is probably ready to fruit in June but at that point the temperatures in most spots don’t dip low enough consistently til the end of the summer. When I have found them earlier, it’s been at higher elevation or a cool microclimate.
Are you able to clone? If so, I would love to barter for a clone or two of your early fruiters.
Good to see two shroomers tying the hyphal knot . . . sorry bout that!
I found a beautiful 3 lb L. cincinnatus in the woods near my home last September. I’ve never seen them in the summer months here in eastern MA but I’ll keep an eye out.
It was as tasty as it was colorful.
Happy weekend!
Congrats on the marriage, I hope it goes well, and you two enjoy your honeymoon!!! :)
Tyler – Yes, in VT we find chickens from June through the fall. Your explanation of why they fruit later in Philly makes a lot of sense; it is always interesting to hear from readers at different latitudes. I do not currently have any clones available, but I like the idea of a barter at some point in the future. Have you had success cultivating chicken of the woods? It does not easily lend itself to cultivation, though it certainly has been done.
Larry – sounds yummy! I hope you find some chicken this summer!
Tea, Thank you! We are currently on our honeymoon and are having a great time. Looking forward to returning home soon to chanterelle season!
Congrats to you and Jenna!!! Here in Ithaca it has been a sorry chanterelle season. We got a few little (but tasty!) ones in early June, but since then there has been no rain at all. Hopefully this last rain will be followed up by more showers and a mushroom or two!
Thank you, Ben! Sorry to hear it has been a sorry chanterelle season in Ithaca – hopefully things have improved by now with all the rain. Here in Burlington we finally got a ton of rain the other night. I am cautiously optimistic that by this weekend things should start to get exciting!